Robert C. Clark was appointed the first Missouri Division Commander by appointment
by Commander-in-Chief Robert A. Smythe. During the 1900 National Convention in Louisville,
Kentucky, Commander-in-Chief Briscoe Hindman appointed Judge Richard Brownrigg Haughton as
the new Commander of the Missouri Division. Judge Haughton organized the first Missouri
Division Convention in 1900. This event was held in Warrensburg on September 27-28.
Although raining both days, over 200 Confederate Veterans and 144 Sons of Confederate
Veterans attended. During this convention, Commander Judge Haughton announced that he had
chartered, or about to charter, Camps in Houston, Warrensburg, Springfield, Higginsville,
and Clifton.

Though only less than 40 years since the War for Southern Independence, the Sons of
Confederate Veterans were even at that time facing the evils of revisionists. During the
1900 State Convention, the Honorable Robert Lamar of Houston, Missouri delivered an
address concerning the inaccuracies and injustices of the current (1900!) school histories
of the day.

The first Missouri Division Reunion in 1900 was a success and establish traditions
that continue today. James Gulliford McConkey was elected Division Commander for the
upcoming year and Springfield was chosen as the site for the 1901 reunion.

Having demonstrated his superior organizational skills and enthusiasm for the Sons
of Confederate Veterans, Judge Richard B. Haughton was elected Commander-in-Chief of the
United Sons of Confederate Veterans at the May 28-30, 1901 National Reunion in Memphis,
Tennessee.

During the 1901 Missouri Division Reunion, the unveiling of the Confederate Monument
at the newly dedicated National Cemetery in Springfield was the highlight of the
convention. Speeches were made by Missouri Governor Alex M. Dockery, Supreme Court Judge
Leroy B. Valliant, and Judge James B. Gantt throughout the reunion.

The annual convention on September 9-12, 1902 was held at St. Joseph in conjunction
with the United Confederate Veterans. Chilton Atkinson was elected Division Commander and
would hold that position until 1911. Those of notable mention who attended the 1902
reunion were Elijah Gates, Confederate Colonel and Major
General of the U.C.V., U. S. Senator and Confederate General F. M. Cockrell, U. S. Senator
James H. Berry of Arkansas, and Hon. John Allen of Mississippi.

Columbia was the site of the 1903 Missouri Division Reunion. The assembly was held
in the Missouri University Auditorium and presided over by Elijah
Gates. A parade of more than 500 Confederate Veterans was led by the University Cadet
Band through the streets of downtown Columbia. Notable veterans in attendance were: John
C. Landis, James Bannerman, S. A. Cunningham (editor of the Confederate Veteran Magazine),
and Senator F. M. Cockrell.

E. W. Stephens, editor of the Columbia Herald, wrote of the event: "On this day
Columbia and Boone County extend comfort and a heartfelt welcome to the old soldiers of
the Southern Confederacy. In this greeting all the people join, without regard to politics
or religion .today Union men and Southern sympathizers, federal and Confederate
bushwhackers, and the militia vie with each other in the cordiality of their welcome, and
authorize the statement that: 'All they possess is yours, as contraband of war!' Even the
Rebel Yell has become a loyal hallelujah, and you can indulge in it to your heart's
content."

The fifth annual reunion of the Missouri Division was held on the grounds of the
1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The Veterans, Sons, and the United Daughters of the
Confederacy met in the Missouri State Building on October 4th. One of the chief concerns
during this reunion in St. Louis during the World's Fair was transportation.
Ex-Confederate Captain Robert McCulloch of the Eighteenth Virginia Infantry was General
Manager of the United Street Railways Company. Captain McCulloch was involved with every
feature of construction and operation of the St. Louis lines. At the time of the 1904
World's Fair, 345 miles of track were constructed with 1100 cars carrying over one million
passengers daily. There were 5,000 employees under Captain McCulloch and the St. Louis
Transit Company was capitalized at $65,000,000 in preferred stock (1904 dollars!).

The St. Louis Mirror stated: "The signal success of the Fair opening was the
service of the Transit Company. Everybody's hat is off to the management. The arrangements
were nearly perfect. One certainly never would have thought there were so many street cars
in the world as the Transit Company had in service."

During 1904, monuments were unveiled at Neosho, Independence, and Liberty. On his
70th birthday, Senator F. M. Cockrell gave the address at the unveiling of the monument at
Liberty on October 1, 1904.

The Missouri Division lost a strong supporter in 1904 with the passing of Senator
George Graham Vest. A member of the Confederate Congress from Missouri, Col. G. G. Vest,
as U. S. Senator from 1879 to 1903, was known for his outspoken support for the Southern
Confederacy, his legislation creating Yellowstone National Park, and his work as a
champion for the rights of Native American Indians.